At its PAX East panel, Bethesda admitted that it faced “a lot of difficulties” during Fallout 76‘s development, which became apparent upon launch. Executive Producer, Todd Howard, said that the game was a “very, very new thing” for the developers, who expected several bumps in the road, as a result.
“We definitely had some [difficulties], some of them much harder than we anticipated,” revealed Howard. “This was a very new and different project for us. We’re still doing other things that are more traditional – as I would call them – Bethesda games.”
Howard said that Bethesda understandably didn’t want the difficulties to “show up on the screen” but Fallout 76 required developers from four different studios to come together and make things work. Despite these challenges, Howard claims that the game did “very, very well.”
“We have a huge – millions of players – a great player base in this game, we’re getting tons of feedback,” he continued. “Our goal is to build kind of a Fallout platform. We have tons of ideas, it’s been kind of a wild journey so far and we’re excited, there’s a ton of cool content coming.”
Howard teased that Bethesda has “big things planned” for the coming years to reward players for an “incredible experience.”
Fallout 76‘s patch 8 is scheduled for release in April. It’ll allow players to customize their gear with item renaming, will include vendor faction updates, and will adjust turret damage among other improvements.
Bethesda also teased that Wild Appalachia’s April update will have players hunting for clues as they find their way through the mysterious and deceptive “Lying Low” questline, which features a ferocious cryptid that roams the Wasteland.
A brief description provided by the developer is as follows:
The confirmed details we have are sparse, but the truth begins in Lewisburg with posters left behind by a woman named Shelly van Lowe. She was in search of her brother, Calvin, who disappeared just before the Great War. Based on the posters she hung up, it would seem she believes the legendary “Sheepsquatch”—the fabled wooly terror of West Virginia—could be responsible.
Further details will be revealed in due course.
For more on Fallout 76, check out our review.
